Belsat TV denied accreditation again

The
Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to accredit the Poland-based Belsat
TV channel, referring to repeated offences by the channel’s journalists while
working in Belarus, www.belsat.eu said on Monday.

This is the
third denial the satellite TV channel has faced since Belsat was launched in
2007. Earlier, the authorities cited other formal grounds.

“To
accredit Belsat was a good opportunity for the authorities of Belarus to
improve their relations with the West. However, the denial crossed all the latest
efforts of the authorities in this regard,” says the channel’s TV director Agnieszka
Romaszewska-Guzy.

Freelance
journalists working for Belsat have repeatedly received warnings from the
authorities. Many of them were arrested. Despite obstacles, the independent TV
channel will continue its work and submit another registration bid.